Today I was reading Psalm 34, and verse 14 stood out to me.

Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

I’ve always loved Psalm 34:14. It’s simple, but I think it’s a great summary of how God wants us to live. Then I got to thinking about how that scripture is typically interpreted. Is there anything that we’re missing?

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, when people read scriptures like this, they typically think only about our interaction with other people. The problem with this anthropocentric mentality is that it completely ignores a huge part of God’s creation, and a big part of our everyday lives. I’m talking about the animals, of course.

We know that God owns the animals, loves the animals and cares about their well-being. We also know that God wants us to choose mercy.

In light of that truth, let us look at Psalm 34:14, with fresh eyes. Here’s the first part of it:

“Depart from evil and do good;”

In addition to our own wrongdoing, what are some of the evils in this world? There are many evils, of course, but there is a huge one that many regular people don’t really think about. The exploitation, cruelty and utter disrespect for God’s creation that takes place everyday in the animal industries is absolutely horrific, and yes, evil.

The problem is, most people don’t see it…and frankly, don’t want to see it. Why? I think because on some level people know that if they were to take a genuine look at what goes on, they would no longer be able to eat meat, wear fur or continue to use animal products with a clean conscience. So it’s better to not investigate, to not do the research, to sort of pretend that nothing bad is going on, in order to continue with our long held ways and traditions.

But not acknowledging an evil doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. It does. (If you’d like more information on what goes on in the animal industries, please take the time to watch this powerful new documentary: Dominion.)

When we don’t know about something, like the blissful ignorance of a young child, I think God knows our hearts and is patient and merciful with us. However, when we do know about an evil, and continue to support it, that’s a little different. I’m not claiming that it’s a sin to eat meat. However, if we are knowingly supporting practices that are cruel, merciless, evil, and completely unnecessary, and doing so for selfish reasons… then I think it’s safe to say that God isn’t pleased with that.

Getting back to the scripture:

“…and do good“

What is good? What are some ways we can do good? Choosing mercy, compassion, kindness, gentleness and love. Choosing to no longer participate in industries that treat animals like mere objects, commodities, with zero respect for God’s creation.

Now to the second half of it:

“seek peace, and pursue it.”

When we think about peace, we typically think about peace with other human beings. And of course, peace among mankind is sorely needed. However, as I said earlier, when we read the scriptures in a strictly anthropocentric away, we are ignoring a huge part of this world and God’s creation.

What is God’s idea of peace in this world?

There’s a beautiful passage that describes the world of peace and justice that will exist when Jesus comes back and sets up His millennial reign on Earth. Here it is:

The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:6-9

It should be stated that not all Christians believe in the doctrine of the millennial reign of Christ. However what all Christians do agree on is that in heaven, there will be peace, love, no exploitation, no cruelty, no needless violence and death. And Jesus teaches us to pray for God‘s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”

As you can see from the Isaiah passage above, God’s idea of peace in this world is not restricted to humans only, it is peace among all creation.

Since God includes the animal kingdom in His perfect idea of peace, why should we not include animals when we read that verse telling us: “seek peace and pursue it”?

Peace is about abstaining from unnecessary violence and killing, choosing selflessness over selfishness, choosing mercy over cruelty, choosing love, respect and dignity toward others, including animals who want to live and enjoy life just as much as you and I do.

Peace is living with all of God’s creation in a loving, kind, gentle and nonviolent way.

So when God tells us “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” – I think it’s safe to say that we can include our interaction with animals, in how we should interpret that verse.

What do you think? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts!

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